What's new? A blog and a catalog

Here are two sources of information on SAIS that you may find useful and even entertaining.

A new blog

First, our colleagues at SAIS DC have launched a blog. You will find theirs a bit different from ours -- here's to diversity -- but similar because it, too, gives voice to students' views and provides practical information, in a friendly way, on applying.

We would encourage prospective applicants to keep tabs on both blogs. Almost all SAIS Bologna students end up spending time studying in Washington before graduating from SAIS, and so it's important for applicants to the Bologna Center to know what goes on in DC.

Permit me to remind our readers that the SAIS Bologna and SAIS DC Admissions offices handle different pools of applications:

• All U.S. citizens, as well as non-U.S.citizens wishing to start their studies in Washington, have their applications managed by SAIS DC.
• Non-U.S. citizens who want to start in Bologna have their application managed by SAIS Bologna.

We broached the complicated issue of one program/two Admissions offices in a recent post. If you have questions on the different procedures, you can always drop us a line at admissions@jhubc.it.

A new catalog

The second new source of information is SAIS Bologna's  academic catalog. If you are considering applying to SAIS Bologna, you might want to download the catalog so you can refer to it from time to time.

The catalog includes information on a range of subjects:

• SAIS Bologna life
• SAIS Bologna services
• Admissions
• Degrees
• Curriculum
• Faculty

Academic catalogs have come a long way from my days as a student (OK -- keep your comments to yourselves). Back in those days, the catalog was a hefty and colorless tome that included fine print on the courses, a word or two on intellectual honesty and, if you were lucky, an academic calendar.

We think the new SAIS Bologna catalog tackles a greater range of issues and gives a more rounded picture of our institution than the run-of-the mill brochure.

(I can hear your question: Why are you publishing the 2011-12 academic catalog now? Here's the short answer: It takes time to edit, synthesize, cut down the number of pages and save trees!)

Last thing: Some of you may have noticed that we have launched a Twitter feed called @SAISBolognaBlog. To follow it, click on this icon in the upper right-hand section of the blog:

Nelson Graves

Your guide to applying to graduate school

For readers considering graduate school, here is a guide to help you get your ducks in order.

1. Research various programs. Keep an open mind -- you no doubt have preconceived notions. They might prove wrong. Test your assumptions.

There is an ocean of information on the Internet. Dig to find answers. Jot down the most common questions and the answers from each institution you are interested in. Check out chat rooms and blogs.

Other ways to get to know institutions: contact the Admissions Office and set up a time for a chat; visit the campus and sit in on a class, listen to a lecture, mingle with students; find out if you can contact an alumnus, a student and/or a faculty member. Attend a graduate school fair -- pick up the literature but also speak to the people at the programs that interest you the most.

(By the way, we at SAIS Bologna will be holding a series of information sessions -- in Bologna, elsewhere in Europe and online -- between now and the end of the calendar year. We'll be posting a schedule soon.)

Important: Try not to ask questions if the answers can be found on the web. Examples: deadlines for applications, number of students, academic requirements. Dig deeper. An obvious question: What sets your institution apart from University X? How do you see your program changing in the future?

Two blog posts you will want to read: First Steps and Why climb the graduate school mountain?

2. It's never too early to start putting together the application puzzle.

- Check out the SAIS application and the directions to our programs. You can browse the application without committing yourself, saving as you go along. The application does not go to SAIS until you press "submit".

SAIS Bologna has a new
online application

- Standardized tests:

• If you are a non-native English speaker and want to apply to SAIS Bologna, you will have to take the TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge exam. For chapter and verse on the English competence entrance requirements for SAIS Bologna, click here.
• SAIS Bologna does not require non-U.S. applicants to take the GRE or the GMAT. However, we strongly encourage applicants to take one or the other. However imperfect the exams may be, they provide a guide to both the applicant and the institution on your preparedness for a rigorous graduate program in English. U.S. citizens who apply to SAIS Bologna are required to take either the GRE or the GMAT.
• You may want to take the standardized tests more than once. In some cases, one has to wait some time between tests. The earlier you get started on these, the better.

- Start thinking about your statement of purpose. This document provides one of the best ways to convince SAIS Bologna (and yourself) that you deserve admission. The best statements of purpose come from candidates who have thought carefully about how they would benefit from SAIS, how they would contribute to the community and how they might make use of a SAIS education. The statement is much more than a list of your accomplishments. Try reading A Window on Yourself.

- Letters of recommendation: The strongest letters will be written by people who have worked closely with you and know why you are applying to SAIS Bologna. Recommendations that read like form letters -- fill-in-the-blank templates that take the author a few minutes -- stand out like a sore thumb. Make sure your referees know about your motivations and aspirations. That takes time and effort.

Recommended reading: Letters of Recommendation.

- Transcripts: You'll need to submit an official transcript of all your college work. This is not so difficult to obtain from your undergraduate institution. Still, the earlier the better.

- Financial aid: If you are planning on requesting financial aid, you'll need to get some documents in order. For non-U.S. citizens, here is the form. Here is the form for U.S. citizens.

While you are thinking about financial aid, consider why an investment in graduate school makes sense for you. Even students who receive a chunk of aid have to contribute to their costs. In the end, everyone has to make some kind of investment.

Be sure to look at this webpage on financial aid and fellowships. While you're at it, try reading this blog post: Financial Aid.

- Deadlines: Here are the application deadlines for candidates wanting to enter SAIS Bologna in the Fall of 2012:

• Non-U.S. candidates: February 1, 2012
• U.S. candidates: January 7, 2012

As you move ahead, you'll have questions. Keep in touch with us. You can email us at admissions@jhubc.it. You can chat with us on Skype (our handle is jhubc.admissions). Our phone number is +39 051 29 17 811 (ask for Admissions).

And of course you can always leave a comment on this blog. We welcome feedback.

Nelson Graves

Getting to the core

Earlier this month we published a post with a question from the final exam in International Monetary Theory. It was an opportunity to expose incoming students to the kind of question they will be facing soon and also to the Economics requirements.

Today we turn to another set of obligations: the core requirements.

Before getting into the nitty gritty of the core requirements, a word on why. SAIS students come from very diverse academic backgrounds. This year in Bologna we had 34 nationalities, and for 2011-12, students from 45 different countries have enrolled.

To ensure that all SAIS graduates have acquired a common set of useful skills and knowledge, we require them to meet a set of requirements in Economics, languages, history and political science.

There are four core subjects:

• American Foreign Policy Since World War II
• Comparative National Systems
• Evolution of the International System
• Theories of International Relations

You can read about the core subjects here and here.

Here is chapter and verse with respect to the core requirements:

M.A. candidates must pass written examinations in two of four core areas (except students in European Studies, who take three European Studies comprehensive exams). Students are urged to pass one of these exams by the end of their first year and to pass both before beginning the second year. Students with an adequate background are encouraged to take the core examinations upon entry. During the year, students may prepare for a core examination by studying on their own, auditing or enrolling for credit in a core course. Core exams are graded with a letter grade. Only passing grades appear on the transcript. Students who fail a core exam twice are required to register for the corresponding core course for credit. After enrolling for credit, a student's result of any prior examination is eliminated from the transcript, and grading requirements for regular courses apply. Core exams are offered three times a year at the Bologna Center: first week in October and at the end of each semester. 

So you can satisfy the core requirements by taking core courses, passing core examinations without taking the course or a combination of the two.

As with Economics waiver exams, you can satisfy a course requirement by passing the exam but you will not receive credit towards the 16 courses that must be completed in order to receive the M.A. It does free you up to take other courses beside the basic Economics or core courses

Prof.Erik Jones

Note that these core requirements apply to candidates for the two-year Master of Arts in International Relations. The MAIA, MIPP and Bologna Diploma requirements are different.

All of that is so complicated that the questions on the core exam in Comparative National Systems may seem, well, comparatively simple. Here is a copy of the exam.

And here is a video of Prof. Erik Jones, who taught that course in Bologna this past Spring semester, discussing the core requirements and his course. He also explains why his office is full of boxes.



Nelson Graves

So many options

Last week, SAIS and INSEAD announced a dual-degree program. INSEAD, as most of you doubtless know, is a business school with campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. More on the agreement below.

This new dual degree agreement gives me a chance to remind our readers of a couple of important things.

First, if a candidate is admitted to SAIS Bologna as a master's student, they are automatically admitted to SAIS DC for a second year provided they perform satisfactorily in Bologna. Some of our candidates have asked whether they have been admitted to SAIS DC or not, and whether they would have to apply to Washington from Bologna. The answer is that SAIS Bologna students do not have to apply for Washington.

Most of the Bologna Center students do a second year in Washington and at the end receive a Master's of Arts in International Relations.

This does not apply to MIPP candidates, of course, as they are enrolled for only one year and choose either the DC or the Bologna campus.

Alternatively, SAIS Bologna students may decide to purse an MAIA -- or a Master's of Arts in International Affairs. This is a two-year program with a thesis in the second year and 14 required course credits over the two years instead of 16.

A few students stay in Bologna for two years and receive an MAIA. The MAIA is also offered as part of our dual-degree programs with the Università di Bologna (both the Bologna and Forlì campuses), and with the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. So a student can do one year at one of those universities and a second year at SAIS Bologna and receive two degrees.

We also have an agreement with Sabancı University in Istanbul. A SAIS Bologna student can do a first year in Bologna and a second year at Sabancı, and receive the Bologna Center diploma and a master's from Sabancı. This path could be interesting for someone who wants both exposure to a U.S.-style graduate program with an international perspective and the chance to study in Turkey, which is playing an increasingly important regional and international role.


Many of you know that SAIS has a range of dual-degree programs with U.S. universities. Students can receive a master's from SAIS as well as a business degree from Wharton or Tuck; a public health degree from Johns Hopkins; a juris doctorate degree from Stanford or the University of Virginia; or a public administration degree from Syracuse University.


A student can study at SAIS Bologna and also participate in one of these dual degree programs. Keep in mind that one must apply to both SAIS and the other institution separately to be enrolled.


For more information on these dual-degree options, click here.


Now, back to the INSEAD agreement. As the announcement indicates, students can now receive an M.A. from SAIS and an M.B.A. from INSEAD after 2-1/2 years of study, compared to the three years required if done separately. Students admitted to both programs will spend 1-1/2 years at SAIS and one year at INSEAD. Students can start at either SAIS Bologna or SAIS DC, with the third semester in Washington.


As SAIS Dean Jessica Einhorn said: "We are confident that, with INSEAD as our partner, the students who pursue dual degrees will find that the whole is greater than the sum of such excellent parts, and doors will open for superb careers of international engagement.”


If anyone has any questions on these various options -- which together open up a wide range of career options -- please send them along.


Nelson Graves